Tractor-steering device



l. M. CUSTENBORDER.

l TRACTOR' STEERING DEVICE. APPLlcATIoN FILED APR.22. |918.

LQSESO, PatentedAug. 3,1920.

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naires stares Partnr orties@ JOHN M. cusrnnnonnnn, or MACKINAW, .iinniivoiisy i TRACTOR-s'innnine DEVICE.

isaacee.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, JOHN BORDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mackinaw, in the county of Tazewell and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements `in Tractor-Steering Devices, of which.v thev following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specifiA cation. V- Y' M My invention relates more particularly tc devices for use inv connectionwith farm tractors wherein itis desired to steer the tractor from a trailing vehicle suchas a binder, the operator riding on the trailing vehicle to control its functions, while hav! ingcontrol of the steering ofthe tractor, though it is apparent that the structure is capable of advantageous use for a varietyof other purposes such as for the transmission of power from a trucker tracto-r to a tra-iling vehicle when the trailing vehicle is pro.- vided with means whereby the power from the truck inay kbe delivered to its wheels, and other uses which will appear .to ythose. skilled in the-artto which my invention relates] v.

Oneobject of my invention is the provision and arrangement of. the requisite parts whereby ythe driven n shaft may be caused to 4assume any `angular relation ,to

.the driving shaft in a ,given plane, this angular relation extending from parallel on one side of the drivingshaft throughgjthe full lsweep of a circle toa position yparallel to the drive shaft .onthe opposite side thereof. A Y

f Another object ofmy invention'. is the provision of means whereby the driving elements employed may be maintainedat all times in proper driving relation with each other. Y

Another object of my invention is to so arrange and construct the parts that the linkage which connects the supporting inem-y bers is at -all times supportedat or near its-extremitiesthereby affording a rigid and" substantial structure.

Other objects of my invention willappear and be described throughout the specification.

The novelty f my invention will be more fullyhereinafter set forth and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In4 the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

M. CUsTnN- Y be the case were the lugs 13 not provided.

isa sectional plan view of one form of device showing the embodiment of my kinvention therein. A y y Fig. 2 is anend view partly in section, showing the parts of the device in proper position when the driven shaft is in a position parallel to the driving shaft.

The same numerals of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all'the figures.

In that forni ofdevice shown in the drawingsl represents a suitable driving shaft carrying a specially formed driving `element 2 engaging witha similar element 3, mounted on a driven shaft 4t.v f l s A housing 5 is prefe 'ably mounted on the hub of the driving element 2, and a duplicate housing G is mounted on the `hub of the driven' element 3.

The' housing 5 is provided with lugs y7 l Patent-.ee auge, ieee. Application iled April 22, 1918. Serial No. 229,992.kv v

through which pivotpins Sand 9 are passed,

the axis` of these pins being coincident'with the normal speed orpitch point of the driving element 2, the housing 6 being provided with similarflugs 10 through. which pivot pins 11 are passed, the latter being arranged with their axes coincident to the normal or pitch point ofthe driven element 3. Links 12 connect the lugs 7 with the lugs 10, thereby connecting the housings 5 .and `6, somewhat after the manner of a rswinging,` doonhinge.

Each of ythe housings 5 and 6 is provided with a. kpair of lugs .13 which are slotted as shown and are adapted to engagefthe-links l2 adjacent the ends thereof in suchmanner that when the parts are in the position shown in 4Fig. lytheiugs 13 support the links 12 at their ends opposite to the lugs 7 whereby yany strains transmitted from the housing 5 to `the housing 6 are `transmitted ldirectly from the lugs 13 to the lugs 10 instead of from lthe ylugs 7-to the lugs 10 through the medium of the links 12 as would The' driving and driven elements 2' and '3 arepreferably gear-like` in forin, the teeth being` so shapedvthat the; elementsQ 3 may `properly engageeach'other regardless of the angular relation existing between Ythe Aelements 2 and 3, the tooth `form pary takingsomewhat 0f the nature of a combi nation of spur, bevel, and crown gear.

To prevent movement of the housing 6 in a direction which would cause thel links 12 to turn on ,their pivotal connection at each of their ends simultaneously, restrictive means are provided whereby the housing 6, while being free to be .operated on either pivotal connection of the links 12 is pre? vented from operating on both `of these i,

connections, and to this end the housing 5 is provided with guide-plates 14 which are Vsecured t0 the housing 5 as by means of the cap-screws 15, the pivot pins 8 and'9 serving as additional means to assist the cap-Screws' 15 in'maintaining the guideplates `1li in proper position. l

Each guide-plate 11i is circularly grooved as at 16 and guide-pins 17 which are carried by the housing @engage the grooves 16 and travel therein as the housing 6 is angled with relationito the housing 5, the construction being such that when the housing 6 occupies a position in alinement with'the housing 5,`the pins 17 will lie in the intersection of the grooves 1G so that a movement of the housing 6 in either direction will cause thepins 17 to travel into one or the other of the circular grooves 16 thereby confining the movement of the housing 6 around the pivot pins 8 and 9 or 11 and 11 and preventing' such a movement of the housing 6 as would cause the links'12 to operate on the pivotpins 8 9 and 11-11 simultaneously with the result 0f disengag-A ing the driving 'elements 2 and 3 and interrupting the driving connection between the,V

shafts 1 and 4. i u

It fis frequently advisable to Vprovide means'whereby the final driven shaft may be capable ofv assuming an angular position in any plane with relation to the `driving shaft in which case two mechanisms such as previously described are employed and so mounted that they bear a right angular relation toeach other, the axis ofthe pivot pins of 4one mechanism being at right angle to the `axis of the pivot pins-of the other mechanism, the housing of the second mechanism corresponding to the housing 5 being secured to the housing 6 of the firstmechanism, thecombination of the movements of both mechanisms permitting the nally driven shaft to operate in any position'desired' with relation to the primary shaft.

It is t0 be observed that the angling of the driven shaft with relation to the drive shaft neither addsnor subtracts motionto or from the driving shaft for the reason that any angled position assumed by the driven shaft is generated about the pivotal point of connection between the housing and the links, the resulting motionbeing i merely a pivotal action between the driving elements at their' pitch point.

In its application to the service of steering mechanism for tractors when used in connection with a trailingv vehicle such as a binder, it is necessary `that the tractor be turned to a greater angular position with relation to the binder than an angle of 90 y circle o n the other side of b i swath after rounding the corner, the result being, that in order to accomplish this, it"

is necessary that the tractor be turned a considerable amount beyond the Vrightangle turn so as to cause thebinder to move backward on `the side next the standing grain so that theA sickle bar may be brought into the grain as previously described, the resulting angular 'relation between `the tractor andthe binder during such a turn ing movement being 4considerably. greater than can be accommodated by the ordinary` form of universal joints. Y

Having thus fully fully described my invention, Iclaim:

1. In .a motion transmitting device the combination of a driving shaft,` a driven shaft, a driving element carried by the adjacent ends of each shaft and eachV driving elementv in engagement with the other,y a housing adjacent each driving element, and a connection between saidhousingshaving a pivotal point of attachment to one housing in line with the tangent to the Circle of engagement between the driving elements on one side of the axisofone of the shafts and apivotal point of connectionto the other housing at the" opposite side of "saidaxis of the shaft.l

2.V In a motiontransmitting device the` ings having an axis tangent to the pitch.

clrcleion one side of the axis ofoneV of the shafts and the pivotal mounting between said connection and the other of said housings having an aXistangent "to rthe pitch the `anis Vof said shaft,-and means to confine the angular movement of the device of thepivotal mounting i 8. In-a tractor steering device the combination of a pair of housings, a pair` of connecting 'members' hingedly mounted at one end to one of said housings andV at the other end to the other of' said khousings whereby when one of saidhousings isiangled in onedirection the movement will center at one of said hinged connectionsrand whereby when said housing is angledV in the opposite direction the movementV will center .about the other of said hinged connectionalsteeringshafts mounted in said housings, and a gear on theend of each steering shaft and arranged with its pitch coincident withthe axis of said hinged connections Vwhereby to one or the Vother when one of said housings is angled in either direction with relation to the other of said housings any rotary motion imparted to one of said shafts will Vbe transmitted to the other thereof.

t. ln a tractor steering device the combination of a pair of housings, connecting members hingedly mounted at one end to one of said housings and at the other end to the other thereof, a guide plate Vcarried by one of said housings, a guiding member carried by the other housing and engaging said plate whereby said housing may have free movement on either of the hinging points of said connecting members but not on both simultaneously, steering shafts mounted `in said housings, and gears on said shafts and have a tooth form whereby when one of said housings is angled with relation to the other thereof, said gearsV will remain in mesh to transmit motion from one shaft to the other.

5. ln a motion transmitting device the combination of housings, shafts carried by said housings, driving gears carried byV said shafts, a connection between said housings, said connection being pivoted to one of said housings in a line tangent to the pitch circle of said gears on one side of the center of one of the shafts and to the other housing iii-a corresponding line on the other side of said shaft center, and means to maintain said gears in mesh when the device is angled on either of the pivotal lines.

6. In a motion transmitting device the combination of a pair of housings, a shaft journaled in each housing, a gear on the point of the 'compound pivotal connection to p the other as the angular relation of the axis of one shaft to the axis of the other crosses the axis of coincidence.

V7. In a motion transmitting device the combination of a pair of housings, a shaft for each housing, a gear on each shaft, a link pivoted at one end to one housingin a line tangent to the pitch circle of the gears and at the other end to the other housing in a line tangent to the pitch circle of the gears, and a supporting lug carried by each housing for engaging said link at a point adjacent its pivotal connection to the other housing. l

8. In a motion transmitting device the combination of'a pair of housings, ashaft for each housing, a gear on each shaft, a linlr pivoted at one end to one housing in a line tangent to the pitch circle of the gears and at the other end to the other housing in a line tangent to the pitch circle of the gears, a supporting lug carried by each housing for engaging said link at a point adjacent its pivotal connection to the other housing, and a guide for confining the angular movement of the device to one of said pivotal connections at a time.

JOHN M. CUSTENBORDER. 

